Hand loader for concrete mixers



June 22 1926.

W. B. HOLLAND HAND LOADER Foa CONCRETE MIxERs Filed July 31 1925 Patented June 22, 1926.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM BERRY HOLLAND, E SYDNEY, NEW soU'rH WALES, AUs'rEALLe'.

HAND LOADER FOR Application ledfJuly 31, 1925, Serial No.

This invention relates to concrete batch mixers of the tilting drum type. In these machines the drum is tipped yover angularly to one side of the frame 'for loading purposes and the concrete ingredients are shovmeans of springs havingadjustable eled into it or elevated intoit.y When the drum is thus charged it is swung tothe erect position and it isrotated to eect intermixture' of the ingredients and finally it is tipped over. to the opposite side to spill out the mixed batch of concrete.. f E

The present invention consists inan improved type of loader which is applicable or adaptable to drum mixerswhich are so mounted that they maybe tilted transversely on the carriage kor frame onwhich they are mounted. The loader in which thepres-'f ent invention consists is characterized in that a scoop shape hopperis supported on a pivotally mounted bracket frame and counterbalanced by springs or by weights, the tension of which is so adjustedthat they overbalance the weight of the hopper when empty. `These counterbalances operate to assist the lifting of the hopper to the upper orfdischarging position, vthe overplus of counterbalance is insufficient for preventing the easyrestoration of the hopper by manual pull downward applied toa hand bail tted'to the backof the hopper but ofering material assistance to the manual operator in-the upraising of the hopper to discharge its contents into thev drum. The counterbalance .is preferably obtained by tensioning devices associated with them whereby the most suitable degree of counterbalance to facilitate the work of the laborer v who is called upon to draw the hopper down and to upraise it is minimized. The hopper being lowered to the frame whilst the drum is in rotation effecting the mixing, the filling of the hopper for the next mix can be proceeded with simultaneously with the operation of mixing. The hopper being of scoop shape, when mounted so that in the-filling position it is tipped backward, serves as a convenient gauge Y for the volume of the charge to be introduced at each Vfilling of the drum. Y.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective elevational view of the loader fitted to a concretemixer of the conventional drum type, the hopper lbeing shown in the down-set refilling position ready to receive the ingredients to be CONCRETE mIxEEs.

47,382, and in .murallal August is, 1924.

mixed, and the drum being shown tipped towards the hopper to receive the charge from the hopper when the hopper is raised to its discharging position; and,

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the hopper` 1n the tipped positiony in lwhich its gauged contents of concrete making ingredients are in process of being .discharged into the mixing drum; portion of the lower par of this ligure is omitted. f

The drum 10 is mounted on trunnions 11 and is fitted with the usual ring gear 12 with which a driving pinion intermeshes. The trunnion spindle 13 has fixed uponY it the canting levers 14 and 15. By vmeans of these levers the operators swing the drum to lling side or discharging side position or to the midl osition in which the mixing is effected. l 1e locking :of the drum in eitherfof these three positions iseifected b the engagement of the levers 14,-15 which Vare slidableY on the spindle 13 though keyed to it, with the cross slotted check lock-*face 16 which is fixed von the support bracket 17, 18 being a helical spring in compression which tends to slide the eyes of the levers 14 and 15 along thespindle 13 and enter.

them in one or other of the cross slots inthe face 16. f 1

At the distant end of the frame, a motor is mounted for applying rotational movement tothe drum10, but in some cases the rotation of the ydrum is effected from an engine otherwise mounted` through a chain and a sprocket 0n the, shaft ywhich carries the pinion which intermeshes with the ring gear 12. The whole of this equipment is mounted on a frame 19 carried on wheeled axles 20 and 21. The. whole construction thus far described is well known in the art.

Fixed transversely to the. lframe 19 `are i at the outer fend by a transom piece 24 andl having .at their outer ends two lugs which may be downbent from the frames.` These lugs 25 are apertured to carry the tail rods 26 to which the forward ends of the counterbalance springs 27 are anchored. The tension of the springs 27 is adjustableby moving the back nut 28 and the set nut 29 on the respective tail rods. 30 is-a pawl latch mounted on a lug bracket 31 depending from the bent frame vmembers 22, 23, 32 being a ixed'abutment piece and3`3 a cushion sprin disposed between the abutment piece 32 and the pawl 30. 34 is a forward stop to limit the outward movement of the pawl 30. 35 is a prop leg pivotally carried at 36 on the transom member 24 and bent at its foot end or flanged Y or otherwise f. iormed to take spread bear'ingon the ground and support the overhang of the frame 224-23 and the load superposed on it. The prop35 may be inswungand hung up under the frame `temporarily whilst the apparatus is being wheeled4 fromplace to place.

The horizontally disposed portions oi the bent frame vbrackets 22-23 are located near the mouth level of the drum l0 when the drum is tilted tothe filling position as -seen in the drawings. The measuring and -iilling hopper 40 is carried on a frame constituted of underneath strut members 4l and iorward support members 42 both mounted on an axle 43 the ends ofwhich are carried in the trame members 22u23. The forward support members 42 are extended below the axle 43 to form counterbalance anchor arms 44. The inner ends of the springs 27 are hoolred intov or otherwise attached to these arms 44. At the rear endl oi'- it the hopper 40 is fitted with a hand bail 50. The arms 5l of this bail are cranked at right angles or approximately so, the crank portionl of one arm being down set vand terminated at its bottom end in a hooker catch 52 which is engageable with the pawl 30. The arms 51 are pivotally mounted on the hopper sides at 53 and one of them passes through a guide slot 54 `i'ormed on the hopper side, the length of this slot being such as to permit the necessary freedom 'of motion to the hook or catch 52 to enable its engagement with and its disengagement from the pawl 30. s

It is quite practicable to substitute a weight or weights for the springs 27 to counterbalance the hopper 40. So long as the hopper is mounted to move about a centre such. as the axle .43 located under the vforward portion of it the weights may be arranged to operate through any intermediate, lever or tackle mechanism to assist in the uplifting ofthe hopper andto resist more or less the return of the empty hopper from the tipping position shown in Fig. 2 to the refilling position shown in Fig. l. @wing to the location of. the pivot centre at the vaxle 43 being below the forward end orn the hopper 40, the hopper is tipped baclrward as seen in Fig. l'whenit. is broughtv to the relling position. As the tension of the I spring 27 or the pull of any equivalent counterbalancing device suhices to hold the hopper in the normally upward tipped position shown in Fig. 2,.it is necessary `i'or the .laborer to exercise some degree of force to pull it out and downwards to bring it to the charging position. As this resetting is l effected by down pull and the overbalance .is appropriately regulated by the spring tension orV the 'counterweight loading, the return ofV the hopper from the Fig. l to .the Fig. 2 position is readily effected by a laborer in a down pull movement, the movement being continuedv until the catch 52 the volume of charge, the laborers shovelling the ingredients into it unt-il the charge is brought up to horizontal level between the lip and top back edge of it. The drum hav ing been discharged by tipping `it over :to the left, is swung over its centre and tipped to the right so thatits mouth faces the hopper. A laborer then forcing the bail v50 upward, releases the hook or catch 52 from the pawl 30, and assisted by the counterweight action'pushes the hopper upward from the Fig. l to the Fig. 2 position with great facility. lThe angular position of the hopper as at Fig. 2 being steeper than 'the resting angle of .the concrete ingredients, the gauged charge in the hopper slides immediately therefrom into the drum '10. The drum is then immediately reversed over to the vmixing position, the. hopper 40 being meanwhile brought back to the Fig. l position and refilled whilst the mixing proceeds in the drum. When the mixing has been effected the drum 10 is tipped to the left-hand position to discharge the mix, and is then, as before, immediately n 2. A hand loader attachment according to claim l characterized in that the counterbalance vis adjustable and is normally proportioned to overbalance the empty hopper and thereby necessitate the application of a downwardly directed force to re-set the hopper in the refilling position.

3. A hand operated loading attachment for drum type concrete batch mixers, com- Vprising a `frame partly supported on the mixer frame, and having a horizontally disposed portion aboutvthe level of the mixer mouth; a scoop type hopper mounted for tipping on an axle on said frame near the mixer drum mouth and `below the open front end ofthe hopper; means for counterbalancing the hopper, and a bail at the outer end of the hopper having a catch hook adapted to engage a paWl on the Jframe to hold the hopper in downset position resting on the frame against the pull of the counterbalance.

4. A hand loader attachment for drum type concrete batch mixers, comprising frame members extended laterally from the mixer frame, and having a propsupport Jfor the outboard end, a cradle pivotally mounted in said frame adjacent the drum,

' a scoop shaped hopper supported on said cradle above its pivot centre, said centre 1o- ,cated under the forward part of said hopper, extension arms on the cradle, counterbalanced springs connected at one end of against the counter-Weight pull Whilst it is f in the refilling position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this Specification.

WILLIAM BERRY HOLLAND. 

